158 Driving and en vi ro nm ent
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc ., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low
slung chassis (sports chassis) and fully loaded
vehicles .
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any highe r tha n the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
_& WARNING
After d riving through wate r, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
(]) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth of the water before driv
ing through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine
off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving thro ugh salt water because
it can ca use corrosion.
-
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 17 4,
Fuel supply .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
.. Never put too much motor o il in your eng ine
r::;> page 183, Adding engine oil~-
.. Never try to p ush- or tow-sta rt your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean
up" dev ice built into the exhaust system of
t h e vehicle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be
f ore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
impor tant for the life of the catalyt ic convert
er and prope r funct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additiona l undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat sh ields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already ser iously de-
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢page 183.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis-
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into ..,.
~ Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel
bo lts
slightly .
~ Unscrew the alignment pin and insert and
t ighten the remaining wheel bolt s light ly
like the rest.
~ T urn the jack handle counter-clockw ise to
l ower the vehicle unti l the jack is fully re
leased .
~ Use the whee l bolt w rench to t ighten al l
whee l bolts firmly <=>
page 222 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap
proximate ly) opposite one, to keep the
whee l cente red.
Q;) Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam
age the rotor. Work carefully and have a
second person help you.
(D} Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts .
- Pull the reversib le b lade from the screw
driver before yo u use the hexagonal
socket in the handle to t urn the whee l
bo lts .
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
tread design
make su re the tread pat
te rn is poi nted the r ight way
<=> page 226.
- The wheel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn . Check for d irt and corrosion on
the mat ing s urfaces of both the wheel
and the hub. Rem ove a ll dirt from these
su rfaces before rem ounting the wheel.
Notes on wheel change
Please read the information <=> page 205 , New
tires and replacing tires and wheels ,
if you are
going to use a spare t ire which is different
from the tires on your ve hicle.
Afte r you change a tire :
What do I do now? 225
-Check the tire pre ssure on the spare imme
diately after mounting.
- Have the whe el bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon a s
possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
a qualified service station.
- With steel and alloy wheel rim s, the wheel
bolt s are cor rectly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm ).
- If you noti ce while changing a tire that the
wheel bolts are corroded and difficult to
turn , then they should be replaced before
you check the tightening to rque.
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the whee l co ver.
Until then , dr ive with extra care and at re
duced speeds.
A WARNING
- If you are going to equ ip your vehicle
w it h tires o r rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, then be
sure to rea d the information
¢ page 205,
New tire s and replacing tires and
wheels.
- Always sto re the too ls secu rely in lug
gage com partmen t. Othe rwise , in a n ac
cident or s udden m aneuver they cou ld fly
forwa rd, causing inj ury to passengers in
the vehicle.
(D Note
D o not use comme rcially ava ilab le tire
se alants . Ot herwise, t he e lectr ic al c ompo
nen ts of the tire pressu re monitoring sys
tem will no lo nger work p roperly and the
sensor fo r the tire pressure mon itor ing
system will have to be rep laced by a quali
fied workshop. •
•